Health Benefits of Crying – Top 10 Reasons Why Crying is Good For Health

Although the first reflex we have when we encounter one of our relatives or friends crying their eyes out is to calm them down and stop them from having such reaction. We believe there are several reasons why letting a friend cry on our shoulder can be the best way to proceed. It could be healthy for them.

Humans are emotional creatures. We are used to acknowledging other people’s feelings, in order for them to acknowledge ours. We normally act in function of our emotions in any environment, for example, our home, the place where we work, or school. It is a normal human behavior to react when our emotions or feelings are compromised. These reactions often include finding ourselves in the verge of tears. So today we are telling you; Don’t swallow it, let the tears flow, because we have 10 reasons to believe believe it will be good for you.

Top 10 health benefits of crying

10. Relieves stress

We have all felt the consequences stress can cause in our bodies and mental health, and none of them are nice for us. When we are stressed, our body is filled with different chemicals that affect our mood and the way we feel throughout the day. When we cry, we release said chemicals through tears and we become instantly more relaxed.

So the next time your stress levels are too high, don’t feel weak if your body starts to shed some tears, it is its way of reducing such levels.

9. Lowers blood pressure

It appears that crying is able to lower the blood pressure and pulse rate of those who experienced rage or any stressed situation that altered them. Stress hormones accelerate your heartbeat, dilates your pupils and prepares for the challenge, constricting your arteries which leads to high blood pressure. Crying reduces stress, therefore, it also reduces your blood pressure. Keep your heart healthy by shedding some tears for it.

8. Reduces anxiety.

A study made on September 22, 2015, found that one in five 18-34-year-olds admit to having cried in the week before the study because of anxiety. Some women even admitted they tend to hide in bathrooms in their work place when they are feeling anxious. Crying can release our bottled-up emotions that make us feel especially anxious, reducing our anxiety instantly and leading us to feel much better and prepared for the situations we must face.

7. Dulls physical pain

We all have scars in our skin that hide stories from when we were young and spent time in playfields. When kids hurt themselves and cry because “it hurts a lot”, it is considered a childish behavior, but in fact, it is a very good way to reduce the physical pain, of course, kids don’t know this, but our bodies always find the best way to react.

Crying for a long period releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feeling-good chemicals can help us ease both emotional and physical pain.

6. Improves your mood

Besides helping you ease physical and emotional pain, crying, or more specifically, sobbing, can help you lift your spirit. When we sob, we take in quick breaths of air, which can help us quite a lot. Breathing cool air can lower the temperature of the brain, which leads us to see things a little bit clearer.

5. Attracts support

As I said before, humans are emotional creatures. It is proven that if we didn’t have interpersonal relationships with other people, it could lead us to our own death. Since the beginning of humankind, being a part of a group of other humans meant the difference between survival and extinction.

When people encounter a loved one crying, their first reaction is to comfort them. Feeling supported by people surrounding you can easily improve your mood and spirit. Crying helps you build up your social support network when things get tough.

4. Restores your emotional balance

Not only we experience tears when we are sad, we also cry when we are feeling happy, angry, or stressed. Many researchers believe that crying in this way can help restore the emotional equilibrium that we need to face everyday situations. Crying may be the body’s mechanism to adapt to experiencing such strong emotions or feelings.

3. It is the first sign of health

The second a baby is taken out of the womb, their first moments on earth are crucial to determine if their lungs are functioning. Their first cry is a very important one, it is the one that helps the baby adapt to the outside world and start breathing on their own. The louder the crying, the happier doctors get. Crying is the first thing we did when we were born, it marked our beginning in life.

2. Help us recover from grief

Grieving is a difficult process that involves periods of sorrow, numbness, guilt, and anger. We all have our own way to deal with loss, but one thing is for sure: crying helps. Crying can help us drain our stress levels and make us feel better afterwards, even if it’s just a little. Not crying the loss of a loved one can have consequences in a long term period. Humans need to go through the process of grieving in order to heal.

1. Crying makes you human

The fact that we have the ability of crying says a lot about us. Humans have the need to acknowledge our own emotions to organize our thoughts and contemplate what we really want. We are usually very emotional creatures, and no one should look down to those that process their feelings by shedding some tears. The next time you feel the urge to cry, don’t hesitate or feel weak. Crying is good for your health, and will help you face what’s making you stressed.